Stripe Connect Overview
Voila uses Stripe Connect (Standard) to process payments between students and tutors. Tutors are the merchant of record — Voila does not take any commission on lesson payments.
How It Works
- Tutor connects Stripe — Complete onboarding to link your Stripe account. See Setup.
- Student books a lesson — A temporary hold is placed on the student’s card to ensure funds are available.
- Tutor confirms or declines — Once you accept, the lesson is officially scheduled. If you decline (or the request expires), the hold is released immediately.
- Payment captured — To protect your cancellation policy, the student is officially charged once the free cancellation window closes (e.g., 24 hours before the lesson).
- Tutor receives funds — After capture, Stripe moves the earnings to your balance and deposits them to your bank on your standard payout schedule.
Payment Modes
Each student relationship can use a different payment mode:
| Mode | How it works |
|---|---|
| Stripe | Student pays through Stripe at booking. This is the default when you have Stripe connected. |
| External | Payment happens outside Voila (bank transfer, cash, etc.). You track it manually. |
| No payment | No payment is collected. Useful for friends, family, or trial arrangements. |
Set the payment mode per-student in their relationship settings or per-group.
What Voila Charges vs What You Earn
Voila charges are completely separate from your lesson earnings:
| Feature | Cost | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson Payments | Your lesson price (minus Stripe fees) | Student pays you |
| Platform Tools | Platform fee for recording and AI tools (per-session) | Tutor pays Voila |
Voila takes zero commission on your lessons. You keep 100% of your earnings, minus standard Stripe processing fees (set by Stripe, not Voila).
Key Features
- Session packages — Sell multi-session bundles at a set price. Students buy once; you consume sessions as lessons happen. See Payments.
- Booking requests — Students request a time slot; you confirm or decline. Payment is held until confirmation.
- Recurring payments — Set up recurring lesson schedules with automatic billing. See Payments.
- Smart refunds — If you decline a booking or cancel a lesson, the student is refunded automatically. If a student cancels, refunds are processed based on your specific cancellation policy.
- Earnings dashboard — View gross earnings, Stripe fees, net income, and transaction history. See Earnings.
- Dispute support — Email alerts, evidence packs, deadline reminders, and Admin banners when a student disputes a payment. See Disputes & Chargebacks.
Related
- Setup — connect your Stripe account
- Payments — how bookings, packages, and recurring payments work
- Earnings & Payouts — view and manage your earnings
- Disputes & Chargebacks — your responsibilities as merchant of record
- Subscription & Billing — platform usage fees (separate from earnings)